Graham Elliot
June 15, 2009
Graham Elliot
Graham Elliot opened only about a year ago and has already made a name for itself among Chicago diners. The Chef, Graham Elliot Bowles, has worked for several inspired kitchens over the course of his career before opening his new restaurant in Chicago. Working in such kitchens as the Jackson House Inn & Restaurant in Vermont, The Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas, and then Charlie Trotter’s, Tru, and The Avenues at The Peninsula in Chicago, Graham Elliot Bowles has honed his skills and is now the executive chef of one of Chicago Magazine’s “Top 22 New Chicago Restaurants”.
Offering a vast array of menu items such as his creamy crab risotto, his take on Kung Pao chicken and cornbread crusted scallops with ham-hock vinaigrette. His menu is broken down into the preparations, “Hot,” “Cold,” “Sea,” “Land,” and “Sweet,” and there are interesting menu items under each of the categories. Food & Wine magazine says, “Graham Elliot Bowles prepares some of the country’s most creative food, turning out adventurous and unexpectedly delicious creations”.
Patrons are offered four-star cuisine in a setting without the elaborate atmosphere and the overdressed waiters of many fine dining restaurants. Located at 217 E. Huron in the River North gallery district, Graham Elliot has become one of the district’s most popular restaurants in a very short time. Elliot brought with him one of the most talked about offerings from his time at The Avenues, Foie Gras Lollipops. The recipe for his late-night menu staple below is prepared and then covered in Pop-Rocks candy, a true example of Bowles’ distinct creativity and humor in the kitchen.
Foie-lipops (Foie Gras Lollipops) Chef Graham Elliot Bowles of Avenues at The Peninsula Chicago – Chicago, IL Adapted by StarChefs.com
Yield: 50 Servings
Ingredients:
½ lobe Grade-A fresh foie gras (approximately ¾ pound)
½ cup port
Salt and pepper
15 sheets gelatin
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Lollipop sticks
Method:
Cut foie gras into 1-inch pieces with a hot knife. Remove as many veins as possible. Put foie gras in a saucepan over medium heat. Add port, salt and pepper. Cook until foie is cooked through and alcohol is cooked off.
Bloom gelatin in a bowl of cold water. Heat 1 cup of heavy cream in a separate pot and whisk in bloomed gelatin.
Remove ½ cup of foie gras fat from the saucepan. Pour the remainder of foie gras and fat into a blender, adding the cup of cream and gelatin as well. Blend on high, adding more cream if needed for the mixture to blend smoothly. Check seasoning.
Pass blended mixture through a chinois. Fill lollipop molds with mixture and freeze. Insert lollipop sticks and keep in refrigerator until ready to serve.
Chef Graham Elliot Bowles adds his finishing touch by rolling the lollipops in a dusting of Pop-Rocks candy just before serving!
Graham Elliot opened only about a year ago and has already made a name for itself among Chicago diners. The Chef, Graham Elliot Bowles, has worked for several inspired kitchens over the course of his career before opening his new restaurant in Chicago. Working in such kitchens as the Jackson House Inn & Restaurant in Vermont, The Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas, and then Charlie Trotter’s, Tru, and The Avenues at The Peninsula in Chicago, Graham Elliot Bowles has honed his skills and is now the executive chef of one of Chicago Magazine’s “Top 22 New Chicago Restaurants”.
Offering a vast array of menu items such as his creamy crab risotto, his take on Kung Pao chicken and cornbread crusted scallops with ham-hock vinaigrette. His menu is broken down into the preparations, “Hot,” “Cold,” “Sea,” “Land,” and “Sweet,” and there are interesting menu items under each of the categories. Food & Wine magazine says, “Graham Elliot Bowles prepares some of the country’s most creative food, turning out adventurous and unexpectedly delicious creations”.
Patrons are offered four-star cuisine in a setting without the elaborate atmosphere and the overdressed waiters of many fine dining restaurants. Located at 217 E. Huron in the River North gallery district, Graham Elliot has become one of the district’s most popular restaurants in a very short time. Elliot brought with him one of the most talked about offerings from his time at The Avenues, Foie Gras Lollipops. The recipe for his late-night menu staple below is prepared and then covered in Pop-Rocks candy, a true example of Bowles’ distinct creativity and humor in the kitchen.
Foie-lipops (Foie Gras Lollipops) Chef Graham Elliot Bowles of Avenues at The Peninsula Chicago – Chicago, IL Adapted by StarChefs.com
Yield: 50 Servings
Ingredients:
½ lobe Grade-A fresh foie gras (approximately ¾ pound)
½ cup port
Salt and pepper
15 sheets gelatin
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Lollipop sticks
Method:
Cut foie gras into 1-inch pieces with a hot knife. Remove as many veins as possible. Put foie gras in a saucepan over medium heat. Add port, salt and pepper. Cook until foie is cooked through and alcohol is cooked off.
Bloom gelatin in a bowl of cold water. Heat 1 cup of heavy cream in a separate pot and whisk in bloomed gelatin.
Remove ½ cup of foie gras fat from the saucepan. Pour the remainder of foie gras and fat into a blender, adding the cup of cream and gelatin as well. Blend on high, adding more cream if needed for the mixture to blend smoothly. Check seasoning.
Pass blended mixture through a chinois. Fill lollipop molds with mixture and freeze. Insert lollipop sticks and keep in refrigerator until ready to serve.
Chef Graham Elliot Bowles adds his finishing touch by rolling the lollipops in a dusting of Pop-Rocks candy just before serving!
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